Arrupe Hall, a new residence for Jesuit priests on the St. Joseph’s University (SJU) campus, has a retro-modern façade, thanks to some unique architectural choices in its design. last spring. Inga Saffron covered its look for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The residence will house 15 priests that work at the university, St. Joseph’s Prep School, and at other locations in the area.

While many other beautiful religious buildings and chapels have been sold off or demolished due to decreasing numbers, the construction of Arrupe Hall runs counter to those trends. Its careful construction from brick and stone indicates a similar level of devotion and purpose as was put into many of the older, traditional Catholic churches and cathedrals in Philadelphia.

The $12 million dollar project came about because the USA East Province of the Society of Jesus, a regional organization of Jesuits, needed to downsize and consolidate. The building on the SJU site is named after a Jesuit missionary who took care of the wounded in Hiroshima.

The residence and attached chapel were the work of Moto Design Shop, one of the few remaining companies in Philadelphia that still work with brick and create intricate designs.

At SJU, Moto’s work is modern but explicitly religious, using the chosen building materials to help showcase the history of Christianity in the very structure of the building itself.

Read more about Arrupe Hall in The Philadelphia Inquirer.